Acoustic noise suppression in automotive and aerospace vehicles usually requires noise abatement materials and designs that add costs and weight. Some prior art noise suppression techniques reduce vibrations by adding structural reinforcements. Other prior art techniques reduce noise transmission by adding acoustically absorptive and/or damping materials.
A problem with structural reinforcements is the weight they add to a transportation vehicle. A problem with prior art noise absorption techniques is the volume of space as well as the weight that they too add to a vehicle. A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus to reduce acoustic noise transmission while reducing weight that is added to reduce noise but also to minimize the space consumed by noise abating materials.